Rogue

Season 1 of Rogue was top notch entertainment from the marvelous acting, great photography, excellent music, and most of all, a clever, evolving, engrossing script that manages to keep you guessing right up to the last episode. Thandie Newton (Condoleeza Rice from "W") gives a spell-binding performance week after week, and she is matched by Ian Tracey, Ian Hart, Joshua Sasse, and Marton Csokas. The real treat here is how well the supporting actors do, from sexy Leah Gibson to Claudia Ferri, and Rachel Shelley, but to me the scene stealer is young Sarah Jeffery who plays Thandie's daughter. Kudos to Matthew Parkhill in his first outing as a producer and special mention to composer Jeff Toyne and Emmy winning photographer Kieran McGuigan ("Bleak House").

This series is not for the squeamish and there is a lot of murder, mayhem and nudity.

Season 2 was a bit of a disappointment in every respect. although it did have its moments.

Season 3 was a complete change of pace and may be startling for long time viewers as Cole Hauser (introduced in Season 2) takes over the leadership of the series. But don't lose heart, Hauser proves to be as captivating as Newton and the quality of the scripts, after an awkward transition, only get better.

Season 4 is great - a challenge to Season 1. The final episode is TV at its very best.

This drama is so well written, directed, and acted it is a refreshing out of the box drama not usually seen on network TV or the HBO's of the industry. This is an edge of your seat drama that grips you. What separates Rogue from other crime dramas, like the Sopranos, is the characters are so well developed that you understand their actions and motivations. The raw seedy underbelly of this type of show is an acquired taste not for everyone but for those people who like watching dramas on the edge this is for you. There are no weak links in the show and the predictability of what happens next is virtually non-existent. I congratulate the producers, DirecTV, and the actors for producing this high quality drama. I am hopeful there will be a season two.

This show is intelligent. It develops over time. Normally, I can sort out after 2 episodes just how it will end. Not this time. In general I assume these types of shows plan for season 1 and dig themselves an impossible hole to dig out of.

This show went the smart way and just did it right from the beginning - but you have to stick with it. Too bad the morons of the world gave it a 6. I would have said 8 but slapped a 9 on it to try balance out the idiots. This show is simply well done.

Granted a second season. I will watch, for sure. No idea where it will go. And that is a good thing! Hope for a 3rd!

If you can just grin and bear the first season, it's worth it. Forget Thandie Newton's charachter, she's duller than dishwater and stupid with it, so just focus on Marty and Ethan and you'll enjoy it.

Starting off with a very shaky couple-three episodes (to the point you're seriously questioning why you are still in the chair).. but the initially very dubious acting settles down in the middle and towards the end of season one. But then the way they wrap up the storyline finale in episode ten is just so awkwardly amateurish, it's almost like they had no clue as how to end it. Not that there was an absence of previous implausibles (beginning with a ninety-pound Newton as an undercover cop), but nothing close to the head-shakers finishing S1. Then the setup and bridge between S1 and S2 takes an excruciating four full episodes. And up till that point the ensemble of new characters (including the lead actor) can't adequately carry any of those episodes. Honestly, they're all pretty boring..lacking a solid storyline, or any truly interesting characters (good or bad) for the audience to get into. They just come off as near four hours of fill to get back to the main story...(which once again turns out to be very thin). Also it's another in a long list of shows that willingly insult the intelligence of its' audience by readily feeding it premises that are not believable, or at best exceptionally simple-minded. Season one was somewhat effective, but the second is just a mess...and so poorly written, it just ultimately winds up being bizarrely stupid. The third season once again lacks interest.. and for many the end of the series comes near the midpoint (S3E4)..from that point onward there's little incentive to continue... minus a solid script, they're mostly void of any merit. There are lots of shows deserving second and more seasons.. unfortunately this is nowhere near one of them.